The Zika virus could lead to infertility and men's testicles shrinking by up to 90 percent. That doesn't sound good at all.
Medical researchers conducted tests on laboratory mice and described the findings as 'dramatic'.
However, calm yourselves for the time being because the Daily Mail reports that they can't confirm whether or not the same testicle shrinkage would affect humans, but they believe that at the very least there could be reduced sperm count and infertility issues.
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Nature Genetics published research where medical researcher Professor Michael Diamond, and his colleagues, tested the effects on mice.
They found that after two weeks, the testicles of the mice had shrunk significantly with their 'internal structure collapsing', with many dead or dying cells. A week later, they had shrunk by up to 90 percent. Even when the virus had left their bodies (after six weeks), the testicles stayed at the smaller size.
Credit: PA
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Professor Diamond said: "We don't know for certain if the damage is irreversible, but I expect so, because the cells that hold the internal structure in place have been infected and destroyed."
However, he was keen to stress that the same issues with testicles may not affect humans: "We undertook this study to understand the consequences of Zika virus infection in males.
"While our study was in mice - and with the caveat that we don't yet know whether Zika has the same effect in men - it does suggest that men might face low testosterone levels and low sperm counts after Zika infection, affecting their infertility."
Tragically, we already know the awful effects of the Zika virus when mothers catch the infection. Some babies are born with 'shrunken' heads as a result.
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